Google Releases An AutoFDO Converter For Perf In LLVM

Google has released a port of their GCC AutoFDO utility for LLVM for directing optimizations back into the compiler from the Linux kernel perf support.

AutoFDO is short for the Automatic Feedback Directed Optimizer that uses the Linux kernel's perf to collect sample profiles and to then pass that translated profile data back into the compiler so it's able to better optimize code generation of the targeted perf'ed binary to yield better performance. AutoFDO was originally written for GCC and can be found via gcc.gnu.org.

The GCC AutoFDO was written by Dehao Chen at Google while now fellow Google engineer and compiler expert Diego Novillo has ported this tool to read a profile generated by Linux Perf and make it compatible with LLVM's sample-based profiler. With the prof support you'll need to be using the Linux 3.4 kernel or newer and the LLVM code from its latest trunk.

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the web-site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience and being the largest web-site devoted to Linux hardware reviews, particularly for products relevant to Linux gamers and enthusiasts but also commonly reviewing servers/workstations and embedded Linux devices. Michael has written more than 10,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics hardware drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated testing software. He can be followed via Twitter and Google+ or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.